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Gnome
}} The ingenious gnomes, masters of technology and the former denizens of Gnomeregan, are a race of diminutive humanoids who now live in exile in Tinker Town in the dwarven capital of Ironforge in league with the Alliance. Introduction Gnomes are a diminutive, wiry race of tinkers who live underground. In the Second War, they built vehicles and gadgets for the Alliance — submarines and flying machines — to combat the Horde. They are great mechanics and inventors, and are renowned for their knowledge and eccentric natures. The gnomes had a city, Gnomeregan, built into Ironforge Mountain; but invading troggs destroyed it and slaughtered its citizens. Many survivors moved into Khaz Modan and now live with the Ironforge dwarves, and a few traveled with their dwarven friends to Kalimdor. The gnomes are still reeling from the destruction of their home city and are loath to leave the safety of the dwarven tunnels. Most gnomes on Kalimdor remain secluded in Bael Modan. Even after the decimation of their race and the destruction of their city, gnomes are an amiable and kindhearted lot. They make and keep friends easily; others find disliking a gnome to be difficult. Gnomes are long-lived and take a fatherly approach to other races, particularly humans. Gnome society is loosely organized. Most live in Khaz Modan and mix freely with the dwarves, sending representatives to speak to the dwarven king on their behalf. Those few gnomes who traveled to Kalimdor live in a similar fashion in Bael Modan. Gnomes are gifted tinkers. They have a penchant for creating radical technology and innovative designs. They often work together with Ironforge dwarves, developing the blueprints and concepts from which the dwarf smiths draw their inspiration. History The eccentric, often-brilliant gnomes are one of the most peculiar races of the world. With their obsession for developing radical new technologies and constructing marvels of mind-bending engineering, it is a wonder that any gnomes have survived to proliferate. No one knows much about the gnomes' history before dwarves discovered them; not even the gnomes know much of their own history prior to the Second War. Historically, there are some records of gnomes having contact with other races. There is the occasional historical documentation of individual gnomes having contact with humans and high elves in the northern continent of Lordaeron in Tirisfal Glades as early as 848 years before the Burning Crusade. The quest The Mechagnomes suggests that the gnomes had their origins as a "species" of robots created in Ulduar by a Titan called "The Grand Architect" and that the transition from a mechanical to a "fleshy" species is a natural, or at least an expected, process. Gearmaster Mechazod has the ability to revert gnomes back to their robotic form, but most would prefer he didn't. The first widely recorded interaction between gnomes and dwarves occurred 200 years prior to the Burning Crusade. As the story goes, a dwarven explorer came across a small gnomish village. He was shocked to discover that while dwarves had just discovered gunpowder, the gnomes already had a fully automated village with such novelties as mechanical chickens. Contact between the two races grew, and soon, they became quick allies, and the dwarves allowed the gnomes to build their capital city, Gnomeregan, in the foothills of Dun Morogh, near the dwarvish capital, Ironforge. Shortly after this alliance was formed, the War of the Three Hammers occurred. Thriving within the wondrous techno-city of Gnomeregan, the gnomes shared the resources of the forested Dun Morogh peaks with their dwarven cousins. Though dwarves also have a propensity for technology and engineering, it is gnomes who provide the critical, visionary designs for most of dwarven weapons and steam vehicles. The gnomes served the Alliance well during the Second War. Strangely, they refused to send any personnel to aid their allies during the Burning Legion's recent invasion during the Third War. Though their designs helped turn the tide against the Legion, humans and Ironforge and Wildhammer dwarves were shocked by Gnomeregan's decision to withhold their courageous troops and pilots. When the Third War ended, the Alliance discovered the reason for the gnomes' sudden withdrawal. Apparently, a barbaric menace — troggs — had risen from the bowels of the earth and invaded Gnomeregan. Knowing that their allies' priority was defeating the Burning Legion, the gnomes decided to make their stand alone against the troggs. Though they fought valiantly to save their beloved city, Gnomeregan was lost and nearly half of the gnomish race was wiped out during its fall. The ragged survivors fled to the safety of Ironforge. Committed once again to the cause of the Alliance, gnomes spend their time devising strategies and weapons that will help them retake their ravaged city and build a brighter future for their people. Currently, gnomes can be seen living in numerous Alliance and Neutral cities such as Darkshire, Gadgetzan and Auberdine. Many gnomes can also be found at Mirage Raceway in the Thousand Needles, competing with their goblin rivals. One can also spot the occasional gnome hovel in places like Tanaris, the Hinterlands and Azshara. The ruling council of the gnomes has reunited in Ironforge at Tinker Town. More recently, gnomish encampments have begun to appear at the fringes of the world, including Toshley's Station in Blade's Edge Mountains and Fizzcrank Airstrip in the Borean Tundra. While the motive behind their activities in Outland is unclear, the gnomish force in Northrend is tasked in establishing a forward base for the Valiance Expedition. Legacy The first historical account of a gnome is Erbag, the gnomish representative of the Tirisfalen, during the early days of Aegwynn. Erbag was described as being highly talkative as well as rather impatient with Aegwynn. He stands as an accurate and general example of the gnomish psyche. He was already inducted by the time of eight hundred and forty-eight years prior to World of Warcraft and spoke on par with his human and elven counterparts, despite their relative obscurity in historical records. Recently, gnomes have discovered Gearmaster Mechazod in Northrend. If he is to be believed, then he was one of the first gnomes ever created, like their dwarven cousins, by the titans. Gnomes have not had kings or queens in 400 years. No other dates or facts have been given. Culture Little is actually known about gnomish culture. Though what gnomish life really revolves around is unclear, it is perceived by most to be about striving towards the next levels of technology and knowledge through experimentation and tinkering (this is corroborated by the comments and clothing of gnome NPCs). It is not known what social norms may exist for Gnomish marriages, though Marvin and Tamara Wobblesprocket provide at least one example of humans and gnomes intermarrying. Whether or not half-gnomes might be produced from such unions is unknown. Faith Gnomes place their loyalty in themselves, in their friends, and in their inventions. A few follow a loftier path and pay their respects to the Holy Light. Since the Ironforge dwarves' recent discovery of their Titanic origins, the gnomes think that they too may be products of the Titans. This is very uncertain, however; if it is true, the gnomes as yet remain estranged from their ancestral powers , with the exception of a few female gnomes within the Sisters of Steel that have shown abilities to turn their flesh to stone or steel. Languages Gnomes speak Gnomish and Common. Gnomes know the languages of their friends and their goblin rivals. Also, it is not uncommon for gnomes to refer to themselves in the third person. Gnomish names ]] Gnome parents name their children at birth. Gnomes have family names that represent an honored ancestor’s achievements, but they only keep these names until some time in their thirties. At this point, gnome society expects them to have made their own achievements, and thus the gnome invents a new name that represents his own accomplishments. This name then takes the place of his family name. * Male Names: Grobnick, Kazbo, Hagin, Snoonose. * Female Names: Beggra, Nefti, Sorassa, Gamash. * Family Names: Spinpistol, Airslicer, Bombtosser, Greatgear. Technology Gnomes tend to design fairly complicated devices that are relatively safe. Gnomes are in many ways commensurate organizers: a gnome can spend as much time (or more) organizing and planning a project as he/she does actually working on it. If the design fails, he/she tries to learn why, and fixes it if she can. If he/she meets with success, he/she as often as not continues to tinker with and improve the design, often for years afterward. Thus, many gnomish designs feature a high degree of complexity and a low chance of failure, the exceptions being those that dabble with chaos energy — but even then, they take steps to ensure the worst that could happen is a brief, non-fatal failure. Gnomes overplan new projects, producing blueprints and schematics that can take longer to make than the device itself. While this cautious attitude results in higher quality products and a greater success rate, it often takes so long that cost overruns creep in. While a goblin would scream and flee at the mere thought of a cost overrun, a gnome simply shrugs and presses on. If a project fails to work correctly the first time, a gnome will continue to tinker with it, while a goblin would usually give up and move to something else. Thus, gnomish items have very low failure rates compared to goblin items. Gnomes are innovative thinkers and are responsible for a vast variety of inventions, including more than a few that are commonly attributed to dwarves. Although a diminutive people, gnomes think big, often producing designs far too complex to ever be realized. To gnomes, technology is a way of life. Even gnomes who take on other trades often tinker in their spare time. Because of their innate curiosity, they produce a wide variety of devices that are interesting or amusing but otherwise useless or impractical. While others might shake their heads at such folly, the gnomes value all invention, no matter how unimportant it might seem. Among the well-known gnomish devices are the world enlarger, net-o-matic projector and harm prevention belt. Appearance Gnomes are small, slight and nifty. They somewhat resemble dwarves, but are even shorter, not as stocky, and have large heads in proportion to their bodies. They have large noses and ruddy skin, their ears are large and rounded, and their hair color varies wildly, some even having pink hair. They have four fingers on each hand. They are often seen with goggles, tool belts and other items related to their technological inclinations. Before the Gnomeregan incident, some gnomes (such Gnoarn) had earned a reputation for themselves by wearing an eccentric hairstyle known as a "gnomefro". Thanks to their extremely small size, in World Of Warcraft gnomes can be a hard target to click, making it harder for enemies to target you using their mouse. This is especially helpful if you're a Fury Warrior or Rogue. Relations Gnomes are great friends of the Ironforge dwarves and have fought and died alongside human soldiers. They are wary of the high elves, but so is everyone else, so they don’t feel too bad about that. They battled the Horde in the Second War and have a bit of a grudge against orcs, but gnomes are a kindly and forgiving lot and are willing to give the orcs a second chance. Gnomes and goblins have always been rivals — though whether this rivalry is friendly or brutal depends on the individuals involved. Gnomes have not been on Kalimdor long enough to form proper opinions about its denizens. Tauren and night elves both seem rather rustic for gnome sensibilities — but they can make friends with anyone. Gnomes in night elf territories are tolerated, despite the high number of gnomes who work with arcane forces. The gnomes believe that with their use of arcane magics and technology they offer something that night elves lack in defense of their lands. Notable gnomes * High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque: Official ruler of gnomes * Mekgineer Sicco Thermaplugg: Refuted King of Gnomeregan * Toshley: Leader of Toshley's Station in Blade's Edge Mountains * Fizzcrank Fullthrottle: Established Fizzcrank Airstrip under orders of the Valiance Expedition in the Borean Tundra * Erbag: The oldest known mention of a gnome * Mekgineer Steamrigger: Naga-aligned Steamvault Engineer * Cohlien Frostweaver: (Deceased) Archmage of the Kirin Tor * Silas Darkmoon: Founder of the Darkmoon Faire * Millhouse Manastorm: A gnome who got lost in Arcatraz * Ashli: A gnome who was kept captive in Zul'Aman * K. Lee Smallfry: Master Engineering trainer Playable race Classes *Ace *Bombardier *Sapper *Steam Warrior *Techno mage *Tinker Other gnome races * Leper gnomes * Mechagnomes - Apparently, if Gearmaster Mechazod's words are true, gnomes used to be robots. See also *Gnome magic *Gnome technology Myth A gnome is a mythical creature characterized by its extremely small size and subterranean lifestyle and have a love for building unique items and gear. Category:Alliance races Category:Gnomes